“Honestly, I don’t know if my back will ever be 100 percent,” said Trinity Rodman on her lingering back problem in March after a 64-minute stint during the Washington Spirit’s 2-0 win over Bay FC. Soon after that, on April 12, she played her last competitive game before going on a hiatus with no set return date. Her agent informed that she was going to fly to London to visit the Spirit’s doctor. Beyond that, information was scarce for the longest time. Even USWNT coach Emma Hayes didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know when she will be back, but I know that Trin is being given all the support by everyone, and we very much hope for a speedy recovery,” she told reporters back in May.

Meanwhile, Rodman? She had been putting in the grind every day and finally made it back to a long-awaited field session last month. The conditions weren’t favorable at all, but the Spirit forward, desperate to make her competitive comeback, laughed it off. “First day back on the field ☺ Field conditioning in 100-degree weather … did I throw up as soon as I stopped this session? Haha, yes I did 😋🤷🏽‍♀ #builtdifferent🤪😂 #proathlete 😭💀,” she shared in an Instagram update. And now, it seems like all that work has paid off.

Trinity Rodman is back on the pitch with the Washington Spirit, rejoining team training on Saturday for the first time in three months. And that’s not all. Per what a Washington Spirit spokesperson told ESPN, she could soon be taking the pitch in an actual Washington Spirit game. “It’s great to have Trinity back with our team. Player health and well-being are always our top priorities, and Trinity has put in a tremendous amount of work to return to training. She’s an important part of our team, and we’re all looking forward to our first match back in front of our fans on August 3.” The Washington Spirit are set to host the Portland Thorns at Audi Field on the day.

This update came shortly after the Washington Spirit shared a photo of Rodman in Spirit training colors on their official Instagram page. In fact, Rodman herself went on to share the picture as an Instagram story with the caption, “We back back,” expressing her excitement at being finally able to join her team on the field. The back problem, which had re-aggravated multiple times since the 2024 Olympics, had kept her out of international action, too, limiting her appearances to just one in the past eleven months.

Now that her back problems seem to be behind her for the moment, Trinity Rodman can think about where she might want her soccer journey to take her.

Only a matter of time until Trinity Rodman packs her bags

Trinity Rodman’s USWNT teammates made major moves to Europe in January, where players like Naomi Girma, Crystal Dunn moved to Europe. Defender Naomi Girma signed with English powerhouse Chelsea. Veteran player Crystal Dunn made a headline-grabbing switch to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, Jenna Nighswonger also joined Arsenal. Rodman, too, wants to be a part of that list.

In her interview with ESPN in March, Rodman said, “I’ve always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career.” Rodman also added, “I think I would kick myself if I retired and hadn’t done that. So it’s just a matter of when I think. But yeah, just focus on this year and we’ll see what happens when the time is right.” Rodman admitted her wish in March 2025. 

What’s more? She has USWNT legends Becky Sauerbrunn and Sam Mewis supporting her. For Sauerbrunn, her decision to move “overseas” (which in all likelihood means Europe) would only help her gain more experience. Mewis, too, thinks that the prospect of playing in the Champions League is too precious to let go. And with Rodman’s contract running out at the end of the 2025 season, there’s no saying what her decision will be. That being said, Washington Spirit fans need not get their tissues out yet, as Michelle Kang herself has promised to do everything in her power to keep the forward in the U.S. Moreover, it’s perhaps safe to assume, that, first and foremost, the USWNT star’s focus will be getting back into her groove with Adrián González’s side.